Finally Able to Talk

Yoriichi was briefly confused. In his memories, he had never encountered Muzan.

But Muzan did not seem to be faking it, and he could not simply ignore his brother's words.

Muzan hid behind Kokushibo, poking his head out as he said:

"Even if you're repaying kindness with hostility, you should at least give me a reason!

I didn't go around killing people, nor did I do anything else!

I raised you for five years!

Why are you trying to kill me?!

You started chasing me the moment we met!

Did I kill your whole family or something?!"

Yoriichi was speechless for a moment.

Wasn't it perfectly normal for Demon Slayers to hunt the Demon King?

But he vaguely sensed that something was off.

Had he really lost his memories???

Hiding behind Kokushibo, Muzan saw Yoriichi fall into confusion and realized he was safe for the moment. He let out a slight breath of relief.

Kokushibo glanced at the so-called Demon King trembling behind him, then at Yoriichi. Only now did he truly understand just what level his younger brother had reached.

A man favored by the gods...

Kokushibo had joined the Demon Slayer Corps purely for a chance to surpass his younger brother. He had never been particularly obsessed with killing demons. Besides, Yoriichi had once said that Muzan could even be considered kind, so Kokushibo advised him, "Calm down and sort out what happened."

Yoriichi gripped his sword. Afraid that he had finally found the Demon King only to let him escape, he refused to lower it. Seeing this, Muzan chimed in with Kokushibo.

"Right, right, right. Let's all put down our weapons and talk this over calmly."

Yoriichi looked at his brother's expression. After hesitating, he finally sheathed his sword and watched Muzan warily.

"All right."

Only after seeing Yoriichi lower his sword did Muzan inch his way out from behind Kokushibo. The Yoriichi he had raised for five years had suddenly gone mad. Knowing full well how terrifying Yoriichi was, Muzan naturally did not dare lower his guard.

No matter how careful he was, it would not be excessive!

Yoriichi voiced his doubts and asked Muzan for confirmation. "Have I really met you before?"

Muzan could only endure the pain from the tiny wounds that would not heal and the huge gash carved into his right arm. Clutching his right arm with his left hand, he said:

"When you left home at seven, I met you. Have you forgotten? Later, I built a new house near Uta's home. Have you forgotten that I raised the two of you for five years?"

Yoriichi looked completely bewildered.

"Didn't Uta and I build that house after we met? And what is a Half-Demon?"

Kokushibo was bewildered as well. He looked at Yoriichi. "You were the one who told me about Half-Demons. How could you possibly not know?"

Yoriichi: "???"

Muzan turned to Kokushibo. "See? He lost his memories."

At this point, Kokushibo was actually the more composed one. He had not expected the so-called Demon King to be like this—both cowardly and stupid.

"All right. Yoriichi probably did not simply lose his memories. It seems more like someone tampered with him."

"You're right." Muzan nodded in wholehearted agreement.

He also recalled how, three years ago, an inexplicable sense of danger had frightened him into hiding in Infinity Castle. Looking at the two of them, he said seriously:

"Three years ago, I felt an inexplicable sense of danger. It should be related to Yoriichi's situation. Did Yoriichi encounter anything strange three years ago?"

After saying that, Muzan thought of the Half-Demons that had constantly tripped him up and added, "Especially anything like a Half-Demon."

Considering that Yoriichi had forgotten everything related to him, Muzan added, "Half-Demons should be another kind of demon created after breaking free of my control. Most of them look rather deformed."

The two frowned in silence, recalling the events of three years ago.

For one thing, it had been too long, and they had forgotten many things. Besides, as Demon Slayers, they had encountered plenty of demons.

Even though demons had begun appearing less often, they had still encountered at least a dozen of them that year.

Kokushibo suddenly remembered the time he and Yoriichi had encountered two demons, one large and one small, during a mission. The smaller demon had exploded and given Yoriichi a headache for a while.

The more he thought about it, the more it resembled Muzan's description, so he told Muzan about it.

Yoriichi was puzzled. Although he had inexplicably suffered a headache for a while back then, he remembered no discontinuity or anything similar in his memories from that period.

Upon hearing this, Muzan could confirm that those two had been Half-Demons.

To be honest, most of the "demons" the Demon Slayer Corps encountered were already Half-Demons. Naturally, there were also some among his own subordinates.

If they failed to act according to his demands, slaughtered innocents, or did similar things, then they could die for all he cared. Muzan would not interfere. As for the others, once Muzan noticed them, he would have Nakime send any demons discovered by the Demon Slayer Corps to Infinity Castle.

So in truth, many demons had already become quite familiar with Infinity Castle.

If they had nowhere to live, they went to Infinity Castle. Once they were done having fun, they went to Infinity Castle to loaf around...

"It had to be the Half-Demons! They altered Yoriichi's memories. Damn those sneaky bastards!"

Muzan cursed bitterly.

Kokushibo ignored the useless remarks and pressed on. "But that Half-Demon is already dead. How do we restore Yoriichi's memories now?"

"I don't know."

Muzan answered instantly.

Yoriichi and Kokushibo: "..."

So you were actually proud of that?

"But we can ask someone else."

Muzan brought the two Demon Slayers to Tamayo's residence. When Tamayo saw two hulking men who had suddenly appeared in her home with Nichirin swords hanging from their waists, she was dumbfounded—and terrified.

When she saw Muzan behind them, only bewilderment remained.

What was going on?

Had the boss defected to the enemy???

Of course, that was only a passing thought. Seeing Muzan, she did not understand when the dignified Demon King had started associating with Demon Slayers, but she knew there should not be any danger.

She looked toward Muzan.

"His memories were altered by a Half-Demon using a Blood Demon Art. I was wondering whether they could be restored."

Muzan pointed at Yoriichi and looked at Tamayo.

Tamayo vaguely felt that Yoriichi looked familiar, but she could not recognize who he was.

She understood even less. Shouldn't the Demon King be the one who knows the most about something related to Blood Demon Arts? Besides, I only study medicine. Why ask me about memories?

Muzan listened to Tamayo's inner grumbling and stared at her expressionlessly.

Tamayo: "..."

All right, she had forgotten that he could hear what she was thinking.

And in order to understand why demons were restrained by Wisteria Flower, she had indeed broadened her research a little to satisfy her curiosity and studied some matters involving Blood Demon Arts.

She did know a little.

After Muzan explained the situation in detail, Tamayo pondered for a moment before saying:

"This Blood Demon Art should be a one-time technique, and it may have required the other party's life as payment. Because such an enormous price was paid, its effect became extraordinarily powerful. Not only would the target be unable to notice it, with no flaws whatsoever in their memories, but there would also be almost no possibility of restoring them.

"Moreover, I have no way of knowing whether there might be any other effects."